A Summer in Akkala
by dontwaitupxx
Summary: From the crumbling walls of the Akkala Citadel to the Spring of Power; from the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, falling to shambles, to the crisp and stocky architecture of Tarrey Town: Akkala was quite beautiful. An afterthought to Princess of the Wild.


A Summer in Akkala

By: dontwaitupxx

* * *

An afterthought to Princess of the Wild

* * *

"_Although Ganon is gone for now, there is still so much more for us to do, and so many painful memories that we must bear. I believe in my heart, that if all of us work together… we can restore Hyrule to its former glory. Perhaps… even beyond. But it must all start with us."_

* * *

Even in its destroyed and ruined state, the Akkala Citadel was still a sight to behold.

Zelda found herself looking upon it from the Akkala Span, completely in awe of it even one hundred years later. It was a massive structure, nearly rivaling the splendor and magnificence of Hyrule Castle, built partially into the side of a hill, a fortifying stronghold of the land.

Zelda had fond memories of the Citadel, taking trips out to Akkala when she was young with her father. Her father, the king, would be stuck in meetings for most of their time there, however, Zelda, as a young Princess, had the opportunity to explore the land surrounding the fortress, taking in the brilliance of the red leaves and green grasses that Akkala exhibited year round.

Summers were quite beautiful in Akkala.

Remarkably, the decay and destruction of the Citadel only proved to make it more beautiful. From the crumbling walls to the Akkala Tower that drove its way through the very center of the foundation, all the way up and up and out, the sight was breathtaking. A mixture of classic Hylian design and Ancient Sheikah technology: her two worlds coming together.

She sat upon Link's horse, Epona, with her knight walking alongside her, holding the reins. Prior to their trip to Akkala, Zelda run into a Lizalfo in the ruins of Goponga Village. She had twisted her ankle and was hit in the shoulder with a spear, so she wasn't able to walk or climb very well, but all she desperately wanted to do was climb that tower, to be able to walk into the Citadel and explore its familiar, abandoned rooms; to see the Sheikah Tower from inside the fortress, having shattered through walls and floors like it was made of Korok leaves.

She was in no rush, however. She would have all the time in the world to climb the Sheikah Towers and explore the inside of the shrines once her ankle and shoulder healed. She had waited one hundred years for Link to wake in the Shrine of Resurrection, and thus she was a very patient princess.

However, that didn't mean she didn't want to take a look inside.

"Link," the princess whispered excitedly, gesturing towards the Citadel, "Can we take a look inside the Citadel?"

Link gave her an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, Princess. The archway into the Citadel was destroyed one hundred years ago during the Calamity. The way inside has collapsed; it's impossible to get in."

The look on her face must have convinced him to find an alternative, as he gently tugged on the Epona's reins northbound, "Come. There are some other, fascinating places still standing here in Akkala that I _know_ we will be able to explore," Epona began to slowly trot next to Link, as they made their way past the Akkala Citadel.

Zelda took one fleeting glance at it before her knight continued, "Just up here to the north is a stable with a breathtaking view of Death Mountain; we may even be able to spot Divine Beast Vah Rudania up there. Up to the north west is the Spring of Power, and far to the north is the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab."

Zelda looked at him with a curious look in her eyes, "I don't remember Akkala having an ancient tech lab. The only ancient tech lab we had in Hyrule was the Royal Ancient Tech Lab."

Link nodded, "It would seem that in the past one hundred years, one has opened up in Akkala, as one as one in Hateno. You remember Robbie? He runs the Akkala branch while Purah runs the one in Hateno."

Zelda gasped, "Robbie and Purah are still alive?"

Link nodded.

"Well, I must go and visit them! We will most certainly stop by his lab while we are here!"

"Of course, Princess."

"And what of the Royal Ancient Tech Lab?"

"What of it?"

"Well, who runs it?"

Link swallowed, licking his lips, "Princess…" he sighed, "The Royal Ancient Tech Lab was destroyed by the Great Calamity."

Zelda gasped, "Destroyed? Well, certainly there are some ancient relics and books remaining!"

"There's nothing left."

There was silence between them, save for the gentle trot from Epona and the soft whispers of Link's boots against the dirt.

Link continued, "I… I, uh, followed the Sheikah Slate there, matching one of the pictures in the slate to the location. At first, I wouldn't have even realized there had been a building there, had the map feature on the slate not notify me of the name of the location. "

There was silence for a long while after between the two, before Zelda spoke up again.

"That must mean that you remembered something."

Link paused, "I did."

"Well what did you remember?"

"I remembered that you tried to get me to eat a frog."

"…for science."

"_Hey -!"_

Zelda laughed, smoothing out Epona's mane, "It's funny to me," Zelda mused, "How out of all of the things that you remembered from that day, from the lab, that you remembered the day that I tried to get you to eat a frog."

Link laughed too, running a hand through his hair, "Well, it must have been important, somehow, for me to have remembered it."

"Well, I'm glad you remembered it, regardless. Out of everything that you could have remembered from that location, I'm glad it was that," Zelda paused, looking down at Epona, "There were times where I used to treat you horribly, and for that, I apologize, looking in retrospect of that now," She looked at him then, her eyes earnest, "I'm glad you remembered a day that we were friends."

They returned to an amicable silence for a while longer. As they passed through the South Akkala Stables, Zelda audibly gasped as she was surrounded by tri-colored leaves; trees sprouting leaves in vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds. Akkala was stunning year-round, with its fauna being plunged in a perpetual state of autumn. Looking up at Death Mountain, Zelda pointed as she saw Divine Beast Vah Rudania perched atop the volcano, keeping watch over the neighboring Eldin region. To the east, Zelda could see the faint glow from the edge of the horizon, the Akkala Sea glistening in the sunlight.

Summers were quite beautiful in Akkala.

As they made their way towards the Shadow Pass, Zelda broke the silence once again, "Are there any other landmarks we should visit here in Akkala?"

"Well," Link pondered, "There is a small, new settlement that has popped up here in Akkala I think you might like to see."

Zelda gasped, "A new settlement? You mean we've already begun to rebuild?"

"Yes," Link nodded, "This town was quite literally built from the ground up. You wouldn't believe how many stacks of wood Hudson asked me to get him to help him build it."

"Wait," Zelda said, a small smile creeping on her face, "You mean to say that you helped to build this town?"

The tops of Link's cheeks turned pink, and he laughed slightly, scratching the back of his head, "Well, I wouldn't say that I helped them build the town, I just brought the supplies."

"Oh sure," Zelda admonished, "and the hero is humble, too!"

"I'm just saying!"

"So if I were to ask anyone in town if you had helped them to build the town, they would say no? That you didn't?"

The hero was silent.

"That's what I thought."

They passed through the Shadow Pass soon after that. They were quickly engulfed in trees all around, sporting red and orange and yellow and green leaves. She soon saw how it got its name Shadow Pass: the sun was nearly blocked out by all of the trees and leaves surrounding them. A swift breeze made its way through the pass, causing Zelda to shiver and causing the fallen leaves to follow the gust, in a sort of soft cyclone. The path before them was long since covered up by leaves, masking anyone's footsteps. She could hear the soft crunch from Epona's hooves on top of the leaves, as well as Link's. If she closed her eyes briefly, she was brought back to summers spent in Akkala on this very trail, jumping in piles of leaves and climbing trees against her father's wishes.

It seemed that the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

They made their way to the Spring of Power after that. The spring lay relatively untouched in the past one hundred years. As Zelda knelt in the shallow part of the spring, Link stood watch, similarly to how he did one hundred years prior.

A difference, however: he stood not with his back away from her, this time.

This spring once lay the scene for her failures one hundred years prior. Looking back, she could see clearly why she hadn't awakened her powers. They had always been there, dormant inside her. It was not something that she had to find, or be gifted by the goddesses. Rather, it was something she had to discover for herself, to unlock within herself.

During that time, she was quite simply the princess, and Link was quite simply the hero, and the powers that had been reiterated the fact that that was all they were to be to each other.

Wasn't it interesting, then, that on that fateful day on the Blatchery Plains, her powers would be unlocked when she admitted to herself and all of Hyrule her unapologetic and selfless love for her knight?

She took this time, then, to thank the Goddess Hylia for everything, and to apologize for being so blind to it. Love had always been the answer. It was more powerful than any other power in the world.

And while she loved her knight then, and truly still did now, it was clear to her that Link was a completely different man from the one he was one hundred years ago. It didn't matter how he felt towards her then, because that man was gone. And while the man in front of her was not unwelcome, she could not dare presume his requited affections towards her. It was something she had come to accept, full heartedly. They had won, and she had gotten him back, alive, and that was more than she could have asked for.

They went on following the Spring of Power, making their way northbound, towards the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab. They stopped by the East Akkala Stable briefly, preparing a quick late lunch between the two of them. To the west, Zelda caught glimpse of Skull Lake, with a blue shrine glowing softly on one of the eyes. How she yearned to be able to explore that shrine, but even if she was in a state to explore, she had no idea how to get there. She had no idea how anyone would get there. She had no idea how Link would have –

"Link," she questioned, "How _did _you make it into that shrine atop of Skull Lake?"

Link grinned, a charming, albeit mischievous look, overtaking his features, "I jumped."

"What do you mean you…" Zelda trailed off, following his eyes towards the tops of the mountains in the Akkala Wilds. She gasped, "You did not…"

"Did not what, princess?" Link asked, feigning innocence.

"Did you jump from the top of that hill?" She asked, pointing.

Link only grinned.

"_Link,"_ she admonished, lightly slapping his arm. He laughed, "This isn't funny! You could have been seriously hurt! What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking," Link said, between laughs, "That I had my paraglider to break my fall if need be. Worst case scenario, I just free fall through the air and open the paraglider at the last minute."

"Doesn't that hurt your arms?" Zelda asked, rubbing hers unconsciously.

"The first time, yeah," Link admitted, "But since then I've learned to brace myself for it," he paused, "And honestly? The views from up there were worth it."

Zelda insisted they keep Epona at the stable. She felt much better on her ankle and wanted to travel the rest of Akkala on foot. They finished lunch and continued on up the hill towards the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab. The air grew colder up here, nipping at Zelda's arms, her breath puffing in front of her, a small white cloud dissipating into thin air. Summers in Central Hyrule tended to be hot, however, the cold stones of Hyrule Castle managed to keep the castle cooler than the town around it. Summers in Gerudo Town were sweltering, and the Eldin region was just always hot. Summers in Akkala, as the topography rose higher and higher, more or less resembled a Hyrulian autumn day, shortly before the first snowfall.

They approached a tall building with a vibrant blue flame out in front of it, the same blue color that dotted the shrines and towers. The building was in a state of disrepair, with wooden planks hastily nailed in places that had been broken, a roof that had gaping holes in it, and, most prominently, destroyed guardians littering the landscape, on top of the building, on its sides, _hanging _from the building. A large telescope hung precariously from the side of the building, and Zelda couldn't tell exactly how one got up to it. She saw various ladders and planks of wood crisscrossed above her, but the way seemed unclear, and probably unnecessarily tedious.

This was where Robbie lived, Link had explained. Zelda already knew that this was going to be one of her first projects.

Link opened the door with no preamble and held it open for her. Zelda stepped inside, and was instantly overwhelmed with a wash of activity.

The room was small, with a spiral staircase leading up and out of the ruined ceiling. At its center sat a large Sheikah apparatus, with its exterior looking suspiciously like a face. Beside it, a short, old Sheikah man stood, tinkering with it, while a younger, taller Sheikah woman stood near the back of the room, reading from a book at a bookshelf.

Upon the door opening, the old Sheikah man snapped his head towards it, grinning, "Link, it's good to see you! The malice swirling around Hyrule Castle, it's gone! Link, you did it, I…" the Sheikah man trailed off, his eyes locking on Zelda, going silent.

He quickly took off his Ancient Sheikah glasses and rubbed his eyes with one hand, looking back at Zelda. He gasped, sputtering before he found his words, "Princess Zelda…"

One hundred years had passed and had done Robbie no favors, but Zelda would be a liar if she said she didn't immediately recognize one of her oldest friends and closest advisors, "Robbie…"

She swooped down to her knees and grabbed him in a fierce hug, as if the wilds might take him too. He grabbed her just as fiercely, despite his age, his eyes wide and round from behind her shoulder, looking every bit of his one hundred plus years. His eyes were gone, seeing back one hundred years prior. It was an emotional reunion, Link felt out of place: he stepped outside.

When Link came back in, Zelda was ready to go, with the promise to Robbie that she would make frequent trips to see him at he tech lab. He had introduced her to Cherry, his ancient oven, and had demonstrated her ability with the production of an Ancient Arrow. Robbie admitted that with the Calamity Ganon defeated, there wasn't _as much_ of a need for Ancient weaponry and armor as there was before, seeing as all of the Guardians had either been neutralized or destroyed, but the Ancient Sheikah technology made for fine weaponry, even for use outside of Guardians.

Rather than head for the front door, Link grabbed her by the hand then and led her up the spiral staircase, up to the haphazard and shaky loft, up a set of steps and outside, up to a lone ladder, across a narrow pathway, up another ladder to a single plank of wood leading to the giant telescope, with a small sunbathing balcony attached.

From up here, Zelda gasped, as she saw Akkala's magnificence in all of her glory.

The Akkala Citadel stole her attention first, looking small in the distance, but no less majestic. The Akkala Tower shone through it, creating a blue beacon of soft light. The Akkala Highlands were vast and fluffy and green, warm and beckoning to get lost in it. From there, Zelda's attention was pulled to the grandeur of Death Mountain, looking large and imposing over the horizon. She took her attention towards the east, and saw Mount Lanayru peaking over the horizon. From this distance, it seemed miniscule in size.

How interesting, that the mountain that once seemed so large and impossible was now but a spec on the horizon.

She turned back to her knight, who had adjusted his shield, sword, and bow so they were not directly on his back. He had his hand out towards her.

"Do you trust me?" He asked, a roguish look in his eyes.

Zelda nodded, a small smile on her face, as she took Link's hand and he turned around and placed it on his shoulder.

"Climb on my back," he said, and Zelda, in a near trance like state, did so without hesitation. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her legs around his waist. He turned his head slightly towards her, his impish smile growing.

"Hold on tight."

And Link_ jumped._

Instinctually, Zelda shut her eyes, feeling her stomach drop with the jump. Instantly, she felt wind whisper around her skin, and hesitantly opened her eyes.

She was_ soaring._

Link had opened his paraglider over them as he jumped, and the two of them were gliding over the Akkala Highlands. Zelda gasped, taking in the wonder of the region, the oranges and reds and greens and yellows of Akkala dancing softly beneath them, a dizzying ballet of colors and brilliance. From up here, Zelda got a panoramic view of Akkala, shining in the late afternoon sun and taking her breath away.

Akkala was like no other region in Hyrule. No place else in Hyrule had the diversity and excitement and _color_ that Akkala had.

They landed much too soon for Zelda's liking. Gone were the thoughts of her admonishing Link for jumping off of high points with his paraglider; if the views were like _that_, Zelda would be jumping from the top of mountains, too.

"You weren't kidding when you said the views from up there are worth it," Zelda whispered, as she stepped down back onto the ground.

Link grinned in response, "How's your ankle?"

"Better," Zelda responded, "How much further is Tarrey Town?"

"It's just up the hill there," Link said, pointing to a small island connected by a land bridge, "Tarrey Town is just ahead."

By the time they made it to the land bridge, the sun was beginning to set, casting a warm glow across the region, as the sun dipped out and behind clouds. The best way that Zelda could describe the architecture in Tarrey Town was crisp and stocky. It didn't seem to fit with the rest of Akkala: it was neither the old Hyrulian architecture of the Akkala Citadel, nor was it the Ancient Sheikah design.

But as she thought about it, did anything really fit together in Akkala?

It was like pieces of a puzzle that didn't quite fit together in the way that you anticipated. But perhaps the way you thought it was put together was not the way it was intended. Perhaps pieces went together that didn't have any correlation together; perhaps separate colors and designs went next to each other, creating the puzzle and fantasy that was Akkala. The old Hyrulian architecture clashed greatly with the Sheikah tower, however, they went together so perfectly, and Zelda wondered how there was a time the two were not together. The new architecture designs of Tarrey Town did not match the designs of the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, and none of the monuments in Akkala matched the Spring of Power, but she supposed that didn't matter. Akkala was a mismatch of old and new, of Hylian and Sheikah, of green leaves and orange leaves and red leaves and yellow leaves, nestled between the hot mountains of Death Mountain and the snow covered hill tops of Mount Lanayru. Akkala was a region of pieces coming together, not quite matching, but simply stunning in their execution.

There were stark differences between the new in Akkala and the old. All of it, though, had a sort of charm, and made it all the more beautiful.

And Zelda, a woman of old Hyrule, a woman who scarcely recognized this new land, found herself blending in well in Akkala.

Tarrey Town was a town of the people of Hyrule, and featured all the races: from the Hylians to the Rito, from the Zora to the Sheikah, from the Gorons to the Gerudo. They didn't quite look like each other; in fact, they all looked vastly different from each other, but because of this, the town had heavy cultural influences from the different providences of country. It's what made Tarrey Town so wonderful; although the puzzle pieces were different colors and different shapes, when they were put together, it made the most beautiful portrait.

Tarrey Town, it seemed, was much like the region of Akkala as a whole, if not on a much smaller scale.

The sun peaked from behind the clouds, and in the sunlight, Akkala shined with radiance of its old and its new; from the crumbling walls of the Citadel, the Akkala Tower shining brightly on through, to the Spring of Power, relatively untouched these past one hundred years; from the ancient tech lab, falling to shambles, to the crisp and stocky architecture of Tarrey Town. Two worlds, coming together, creating a region of Hyrule so magnificent, she didn't have words to describe it. Zelda smiled then, and Link noted the region became even more beautiful.

Summers were quite beautiful in Akkala.

* * *

"_She has a smile like the sun… I would do much to feel its warmth upon me once again."_


End file.
